Tools and levers that are used to apply torque and leverage to work pieces, such as nuts, bolts, winches, cranks, or transmission gear selectors, are typically designed to have a constant length handle, and therefore to apply the same amount of torque or leverage to the work piece, regardless of the size of the workpiece. This limitation is especially prevalent in the use of tools having standard or non-standard sized socket heads, such as ¼″, ⅜″, ½″, ¾″, 1″, or greater, which allow a user to use numerous different sized sockets to tighten or loosen different sized work pieces. This limitation also arises in the use of adjustable head wrenches, such as pipe wrenches and crescent wrenches, where a user is using the same wrench to apply torque or leverage to different sized work pieces. The constant length handle does not allow for greater or lesser torque to be applied when the tool is used to tighten or loosen larger or smaller work pieces.
The limitation of a constant length handle also arises in other situations where it is desirable to be able to apply different amounts of torque to a workpiece, such as when the workpiece has been frozen in place due to corrosion.
Another situation where a constant length handle is a detriment is when it is desirable to reduce the length of the handle when the handle is not actually being used to apply a torque, such as the situation of a transmission shift lever, where a long shift lever may interfere with movement within the cab of a vehicle or provide an obstacle to adjusting instruments within the cab of the vehicle.
Further, a tool with a long, stationary handle, which provides more available leverage or torque than a tool with a smaller handle, may not fit into a commonly available toolbox or stowage compartment in a vehicle with limited storage space such as a military tank. A tool with a telescoping handle provides the option of stowing the tool into smaller containers or compartments.
For these and other reasons it is desirable to provide a telescoping handle for use with tools, fore example, ratchet wrenches, adjustable wrenches, crescent wrenches, open end wrenches, box wrenches, pipe wrenches, winches or windlasses, capstans, cranks, and transmission shift levers.